When my Ace colleagues Roger Armstrong and Peter Gibbon began combing the Stax vaults for unreleased recordings in the 1990s, they were surprised by the quality and quantity of the material. As soon as they returned to the UK they began compiling CDs from these vault goodies. A reassessment of the remaining unissued material over the last couple of years has led to many more highly agreeable Stax packages, and this month sees the release of the first-ever CD by Memphis’ underrated sweet soulsters the Newcomers. Memphis' underrated sweet soulsters finally get their own CD. The group's complete Volt, Stax and Truth singles, with 13 additional masters and demos, many released for the first time.

Led by the songwriting and vocals of Jay Farrar, Son Volt was one of the most instrumental and influential bands in launching the alt.country movement of the 1990's. A movement that was the precursor to what is now widely referred to as Americana. The 10 songs on 'Notes Of Blue' are inspired by the spirit of the blues, but not the standard blues as most know it. The unique and haunting tunings of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Skip James and Nick Drake were all points of exploration for Farrar for the new collection. Farrar possesses one of the most distinctive voices in roots, rock, country or any genre. He exudes a soulful longing combined with a wise-beyond-his-years command that is as arresting and compelling as ever…

"Mutiny on the Bounty" is the classic tale of one of the most infamous adventures on the high seas. The story is based on the fictional accounts written by Charles Nortdhoff and James Norman Hall. Pressganged conscripts sailing for Tahiti buckle under the harsh treatment given by cruel Captain William…

9CD reconfiguration of original Atlantic box set, featuring every A-side the label released during those nine years, as well as several B-sides. The set is a definitive portrait of gritty, deep Southern soul. For any serious soul or rock collector, it's an essential set, since Stax-Volt was not only a musically revolutionary label, its roster was deep with talent, which means much of the music on this collection is first-rate. 11 of these singles charted on Billboard.

"Lethal Illusion", the 1997 release from the long running Swedish hard rock/heavy metal band 220 Volt, was the band's fifth overall album and their first release in nearly a decade. There are elements to the band's sound that remind at times of Treat, Baltimoore, Legs Diamond, and even Warrant. A pair of early 220 Volt demos from 1982 are tacked on to the end of Lethal Illusion. These demos ("Prisoner of War" and "Sauron"), are very rough, very metal, and would have made for a great Neat Records 7" during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene.

Swedes 220 VOLT released three quite good albums at the beginning of the '80s, with a classic Euro metal sound similar to the first Europe. But in the middle of the decade, their recording label saw a strong potential in 220 Volt to be launched on the prosperous American market. "Eye To Eye" was the result, and if you never heard this album you're missing something great. With the extremely talented Max Norman (Ozzy, Coney Hatch, Y&T) producing, mixing and engineering, 220 Volt obtained a punchy, glossy, awesome polished sound ready to conquer the world.

Ace has long been associated with the Stax catalogue and we are continually looking for new ways to keep the connection going via packages of exciting vault discoveries. Many of our recent Stax compilations have concentrated on the company’s later era – the yellow period, as it’s known in collector circles – but we’re starting our 2016 schedule with a project that draws on releases from their earlier blue period.